I'm starting an audio equipment rental shop, where I build & rent assemblies from parts and rent a package as the job requires. Assemblies & packages thereof are dynamic. Parts &/or assemblies could be 'cross-rented' to or from 'competitors' as need be.
I'm looking for an accounting package that can handle the changing product & doesn't require accounting 'gymnastics' to handle stocks coming back after they go out.
I hear so much talk about QuickBooks, and I cringe inside every time I hear of their popularity. A few years back, I worked at a shop who was using QuickBooks Enterprise, the year Intuit changed from their proprietary database to the more common one, maybe SQL- I don't recall.
All I remember about QuickBooks was that it was what made us make our customers wait, while we were on the phone with them. Everything would end up in the 'Notes' field, and it was so bad that even in the version we upgraded to, we would reach the notes field's character limit and had to have duplicate customer accounts just for the extra notes field to type in. The customers who gave us the most business- exactly the ones who shouldn't have been kept waiting- had the longest wait, since their info was dumped into notes like everyone else, with the added delays of us switching back & forth with them being split up. I always thought there must be a better way to organize all that wound up there. Now I imagine that's what CRM is for, although I've never used any.
This and the fact that QuickBooks really isn't made for renting has me wanting to steer clear.
I also would like to integrate scheduling, maintenance & pre/post-job QC checklists. Barcoding's not as important so early as it will be later, however I don't want a major migration when it does become necessary. Ideally, what I choose now will allow for future integration with functions such as online scheduling through a customer portal, although I don't have much more than a 1-page website so far.
I'm not so familiar with metrics to know what features are of value & which aren't- I imagine hindsight will be a factor in that area.
Is anyone aware of software to manage such things, that doesn't cost an arm & a leg? What I'm finding on Google seems either relatively primitive, with basic asset tracking or super-expensive. One was even a virus, so I'm hoping to hear from people here about something somewhat reputable.
Thanks in advance.
